After reading some previous posts on this site, we are eliminating original plans to take the train from CDG to Hotel Leveque in the 7th. We are a family of four (2 teens) traveling light, but this is our first trip abroad; although we want/need to be somewhat frugal, we don't want to start the trip by incuring major stress.

That narrows the options down to shuttle or taxi:

Hotel Leveque has a shuttle for a flat charge of 69 Euro for the four of us, but I thought that seemed a little pricey.

As far as I can tell, a taxi would be a little less expensive, but I've heard stories of taxis getting very costly if you get caught in traffic.

Which of the two options would you choose? We're flying in at 1330 hrs on a Sat in August; is that a fairly safe day/time for traffic jams? Or, if we do our research in advance, is the train perhaps still a viable option for novice European travelers (but fairly savvy travelers within the U.S.)?

Thanks for any advice you can offer!

<font color="blue"><b>NO STRESS, 32&euro;</b></font>

Paste <b>29, r Cler, 75007 Paris, France</b> into Google and hit Maps. Here's the scenic route to the corner of Rue Cler and Rue de Grenelle:

RER B from CDG T2 to Ch&acirc;telet
Cross Rue de Rivoli north of the Square de la Tour St-Jacques
Bus N&deg; 69 (Direction Champ de Mars) to St-Pierre du Gros Caillou
Walk 30 feet to hotel

Here's the layout at Ch&acirc;telet:

http://www.ratp.info/picts/plans/pdf...s/chatelet.pdf

And here's Bus N&deg; 69:

http://www.ratp.info/orienter/f_plan...&amp;nompdf=69

I'd take the shuttle. You never know about traffic jams; road works, small cabs (surcharge for more that 3 etc). 69 is a little more than the averge 50&euro; cab ride (for 2 people)

I'd take a cab, if it is your first trip abroad I would not advise you to take a train. Having jetlag and being in a foreign city is not the time to learn the rail system (we've been to Paris many times and we always take a cab, not because we are wealthy, but because it is convenient, less hassle and it is a vacation after all.) A cab will charge extra for each piece of luggage but as long as you are aware of that it won't surprise you.

Many of the French are on vacation in August, traffic will no doubt be lighter then usual, plus it is a Sat.

If you go for the van (which I think is a little pricey) find out if it is exclusively yours. If it makes other stops you have been had price wise.

Since you said &quot;somewhat frugal&quot; in one sentence and &quot;a little pricey&quot; in another ...

you could also take the RER to Luxembourg (very easy station to transit) and either a N&deg; 82 bus to &Eacute;cole Militaire or a taxi. Either option would be cheaper than a taxi from the airport.

Hi mn,

69E for 4 is a good price for a shuttle. Usual price is 16-19 pp.

Please take a taxi and relax for your arrival. All you do is walk out the door to the taxi queue and get in. Do NOT take a ride with anyone who approaches you in the terminal. Take only a Taxi Parisien It will be in the neighborhood of 50E for all 4 of you including tip and a small charge for luggage--less than a shuttle.
It is in August on a Saturday when traffic should be negligible for lots of reasons.

I agree with Gretchen. It makes no sense to pay a premium for a shuttle, which is more hassle than a taxi.

I did take a ride with someone who approached us inside the airport. I asked what he charged and he said 60 euros flat fee for 3 of us and all our bags directly to the door of our hotel in the Latin Quarter so off we went. He was great. We called him for our return trip and he came right on time. He is licensed as a private cab/car service. I know there are some in this category that are not reputable but this guys was great. I recommend him highly and you can call ahead and arrange to have him to meet you: S. Josef phone number: 06 11 32 83 01. Just make sure you're agreed on the price first.

I'm not sure about plafield's recommendation, sorry. Usually those guys who solicit inside the airport are to be avoided at all costs. Take a legitimate Taxi Parisien which you can find just a few steps outside the exit doors of the airport. There is sometimes a long line, but it's organized well and the line goes fast.

Thanks for all the good advice! Certainly no unanimous agreement, though...so we will take all suggestions into consideration and arrive prepared to do what feels best at the time. Robespierre, thanks to your &quot;NO STRESS&quot; specific directions, and since it's midday vs late at night, maybe the adventure of diving into the public transport system might not be so daunting.

I do have more questions. I'm a new Fodorite am not sure if it's proper to get off on tangents on this thread. Someone, please let me know if it would have been more appropriate to start new threads on these topics, but here goes:

1) What exactly makes CDG such a difficult airport to navigate through? Posts on this site don't give me much confidence that it's going to be a pleasant fist taste of Europe.

2) Robespierre, we fly in on IcelandAir...do they come into the same terminal that we would leave out of on the RER? If not, how do we get from that terminal to the other?

3) We have purchasd the Paris Passes for all 4 of us, not because it makes sense financially (our teens would get in free or discounted at most places), but because we will only be in Paris for a few days and don't want to spend much of our precious time in lines.

It appears that, included in the Pass, there is a separate Paris Visite 3-day transportation pass. Does this give us discounted (or free?) transportation on the RER? I will search for more info on those, but can you please confirm if that's true? If that's the case, we would lean more closely towards that mode of transport from CDG to the hotel.

Thanks again to all of you! Although I've only posted two questions, I've found this site to be a wealth of knowledge from other posts! I feel much better prepared for undertaking this adventure from having scoured it for hours on end and gathering great advice from knowledgeable, seasoned travelers!

1) It's <i>huge</i>, and there is no clear guide to finding one's way from anywhere to somewhere else.

2) According to http://www.adp.fr, Icelandair arrives at Terminal 1. There is an RER stop associated with that terminal.

3) The <i>Paris Visite</i> transport pass is valid for unlimited M&eacute;tro, RER, bus, tram, and train travel within RATP Zones 1-3. CDG is in Zone 5, so you will need to arrange airport transfers separately. You can save a few &euro; by buying single tickets from CDG to LeBlanc-Mesnil, which is in Zone 3, and having your passes take it from there.

taxi

Weelllll,

I think that since there is an RER stop in the same terminal as your landing, and since you are counting pennies, and since Robespierre has layed it all out for you so well, the RER option could be fun, cheap, and a great way to get to feel you know what you are doing in Paris.

I tend to like getting into the city on public transport... I feel a sense of accomplishment and a little bit like a seasoned visitor. I find it fun. So does my DH, but only you know what your crew is like.

I would consider the 18E in savings a plus, and it might possibly by lunch for a couple of teenagers. ;-)

Since they can get to LeBlanc-Mesnil for 4,90&euro;, the actual savings from 50&euro; would be 30,40&euro;.

Plafield, anything is possible but you probably overpaid by 10-15E.
OP, what &quot;passes&quot; have you bought? The Paris Visite pass seems to cover a lot but in actuality it is a lot of stuff no one does.

You could also take the Air France bus from the airport into central Paris and then a taxi to your hotel.

Taxi - on a Saturday in August you may well get into town for under 40&euro;.

But don't follow plafield''s advice. I've never paid close to 60&euro; for a taxi ride between CDG and Paris (and it's not based on the number of people in the taxi, either, except if you count the small fee for each piece of baggage).

Gretchen, we bought the The Paris Pass for no-line admission to attractions:

http://www.paris-pass.com/?OVRAW=par...OVMTC=standard

Unless I misunderstand, it gets us into the main attractions of: Louvre, Orsay, Rodin, Picasso Museums; Versailles, Arc de Triomphe, Tours de Notre Dame, Bateaux Parisiens River Cruise, Napoleon's Tomb, St. Chapelle. Of course, many other places we'll never have the chance to see, as well. But the ones on our Must Do list are included, and if we can do it without waits, I am SO hoping the $500+ USD (3 days) was worth it!

The Paris Visite is a separate pass and came &quot;free&quot; along with the Passes, for transport only.

Robespierre, is your suggestion then that we take the RER out of CDG1 instead of CDG2, and take it to Le Blanc-Mesnil instead of original transfer you suggested?

And thank you for pointing out that 40E savings is more than &quot;pennies&quot;. We will be in Europe for 15 days, and if we can save 40-50E per day when/where it makes sense (and this includes picnicking instead of eating in restaurants for many meals), it adds up.

And, besides the savings, part of the fun really is the satisfaction of navigating new places on our own successfully, as the other poster mentioned, if there's a fairly easy way to do it. Sorry to disappoint the votes for taxis, but I'm really excited about trying this, if we feel up to it when we land! (That is, if we ever find our way out of CDG???!!!!) Thanks again!

Good luck to you and the RER from CDG. It can be a good experience or a bad experience from what I understand. As you mentioned if you want to get some excitement to begin your visit this would be a good way for sure. The taxi though stress free is expensive. Yet personally I'd prefer to try taking public transport when I arrive in Paris not from the airport.